Fathoms
by Altega
Summary: "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." ― Friedrich Nietzsche
1. Stories

_Dedicated to the true Emperors of the Deep, may they forever rule the Endless Keep._

* * *

"Kaikuahine, can you tell me a story?"

The elder sister turned around and looked at the young girl looking up at her with her first full set of teeth. Smirking slightly she decided to tease her sibling.

"E kala mai iaʻu?"

She chuckled as the tiny blonde haired girl rolled her eyes and repeated her question in their native tongue.

"What story do you want little sister?"

The girl tucked herself into her moe moe shirt and looked pensive for a moment before her face brightened and she tucked herself in again.

"Tell me the story of King Kamohoalii's son!"

Her elder sighed in exasperation as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"You have heard that story so much, you should say it to me Kaikuahine."

As she stretched out her arms and looked into the pleading face of her best friend, she grunted quietly. She knew what was coming next.

"Hana hou!"

Her sister chirped happily, much to the amused exhaustion of her elder sister as she tucked the sheets around her again.

"Alright, but then hiamoe little tooth."

Her sister merely snuggled down into the blankets as her elder sister made herself comfortable on the bed's end.

* * *

"Long ago on the home island, there lived a gorgeous young female Landshark by the name of Kalei. Kalei lived in Waipio Valley. Each night Kalei would walk to the waters at the mouth of the valley to bathe in the Big Blue.

One night, Kamohoalii, the King of all Sharks was swimming just below the surface of the waters where Kalei bathed. Under the shimmering moonlight, she disrobed and slipped into the warm waters as she did every night.

Kamohoalii saw Kalei and was entranced by her unique beauty. As a shape-shifter he resolved that the next night he would take on his form as a Landshark Chief and search the land for the beautiful and mysterious female Landshark.

He did as he planned. For the next few days he walked among the Landsharks as a proud Chief and ate and communed with them in Waipio Valley in search of Kalei.

In time, he found her. They fell in love and married.-"

* * *

The small girl giggled as she added her own words to the old tale passed down throughout the generations of their people.

"After she kissed him on the nose."

Her sister raised a brow and her younger quieted. Holding the silence for added effect she smiled and resumed.

* * *

"Over time, Kalei became pregnant with Kamohoalii's child. Before the child was to be born, the Shark King knew that his time had come to return to the Big Blue, for we needed his guidance.

He never revealed his true identity to Kalei. Instead, he instructed Kalei to give birth alone and to watch over his child, who was to be a male, and to never allow the baby to eat the flesh of any animal.

Reluctantly he left Kalei, whom he had come to love dearly and returned to the Big Blue. The lovers never saw each other again.

On a dark night, as the island winds whipped furiously through the valley, beautiful Kalei gave birth to the Shark King's son.

She was afraid and saddened when she saw that the baby was born with a deformity on his back - a large open hole that resembled a gaping fish mouth.

She wrapped the baby in a thin blanket of tapa cloth to hide the deformity from the others. That night she cried as she rocked her newborn son, for he was as beautiful as she, besides his disturbing deformity. She named him Nanaue.

As the child grew older, she kept him away from meat as the Shark King had instructed her, but she could not protect him for long.

Back in the ancient times, males and females were not allowed to eat together.

When the child came of age, his Landshark grandfather took him to eat with the males. He was fed meat for the first time and developed a voracious and insatiable appetite.

The gaping mouth on his back grew rows of sharp teeth.

After that day when Kalei took her son to bathe in the stream she watched in horror and fascination as he took the form of a young shark - he would swim and play in the water in fish form, chasing and eating the smaller creatures in the stream.

As the child grew into a powerful Landshark, Nanaue also grew as a shark. After he would swim in the Big Blue, others would go missing. A great shark would come out of the water and tear his fellow swimmers limb to limb.

The Landsharks of Waipio Valley became suspicious - why was Nanaue never harmed in the Big Blue? They began to suspect that he had special powers, but they did not know that it was he who was actually killing his friends while in shark form.

One day, the Landsharks discovered the great mouth on Nanaue's back. It all came together that he was the one that had been causing all of the deaths in their otherwise peaceful waters.

The Landsharks were very angry and decided to capture and kill him. Nanaue then changed into shark form and escaped into the sea.

From Waipio Valley, Nanaue swam to the Hana side of the island of Maui. There he took the form of a Landshark. He married a Landshark Chieftess while on Maui and tried to hold back his desire for Landshark flesh, but did not succeed. One night his hunger took a hold of him and he kidnapped a young Landshark female, ran to the ocean, shape-shifted and devoured her in plain sight of all.

The Landsharks of Maui were outraged. They tried to spear Nanaue from canoes, but he swam quickly toward Molokai.

Once again, after he had reached the island of Molokai, Nanaue tried to keep his true nature a secret, but as he grew older his hunger only got stronger. By this time, tales of a dangerous shark walker were circulating through the islands.

The Molokai Landsharks kept a look out for this strange Landshark. Finally, they saw Nanaue shape-shifting in the Big Blue when he thought that no one was watching.

They snared him while in shark form and beat him with clubs until the Big Blue was red with his blood. The Landsharks chanted continuously until Nanaue became weak.

His shark body was drug to shore where he was chopped to pieces and incinerated in a large oven. Thus died Nanaue, son of Kamohoalii - King of Sharks."

* * *

The elder sister sighed at the sad ending as she tucked an unruly strand of hair behind her lightly dozing sister's ear.

"But Kaikuahine..."

She turned at her sister's sleep slurred voice.

"What happened to Nanaue's children?"

Her elder blinked and straightened at the question as she got up. Not only had she never heard that question but their people didn't even know if Nanaue had descendants. Looking to her fading young sister, she decided to humor her and rubbed soothing circles along her back to encourage her to sleep.

"They still walk above with the Landsharks, who knows Ailani, you may meet one someday. You know how they'll greet you?"

Her sister blearily blinked her vibrant blue eyes up to her.

"How Kunokine?"

She mumbled as she nuzzled into her pillows while her elder sister continued rubbing small circles into her back.

"They'll give you a kiss, right here."

Kunokine lightly tapped Ailani's nose, chuckling as she scrunched her nose and rolled over to sleep.

"I'd like that."

Kunokine smiled at the tiny girl's mumbled reply and kissed her sister's cheek before moving to leave the room. Turning as she reached the doorway to the bundle of blankets on the bed.

"A hui hou Ailani."

Her sister's reply was a mumbled repeat, soon followed by her soft snores.

Laughing quietly Kunokine left her to dream of the ancient story of their King, his son and his made-up grandchildren.

After all, Nanaue had no children.


	2. Descent

Water, that's all that surrounded him. Just an endless desert of endless blue. He chuckled to himself, he wasn't much of a poet but he had his moments. Much like when his inventions chose to work or not. He leaned back and looked up at the sunshine while reveling in the currents almost like a welcoming hug among friends.

These were his dreams, they always had been. His Father and Mother often had to take him to a pool in order for him to settle down enough to sleep as a babe. He felt the relaxed smile on his face and didn't bother to wipe it away, he embraced it with open arms and held it close.

Another chuckle. There he went again trying to be poetic. Then he felt it. Lately as he dreamed he'd begun to sense... things, for lack of a better word. Always on the outskirts but never close enough for him to identify.

This time it was different, it was closing the distance fast and it was big.

He saw the amber colored eyes off in the distance before the outline silhouetted itself in the gloom beyond.

_'Be prepared Little Tooth. Everything you thought you knew is about to change.'_

He didn't even have time to ponder the source of the voice as the void opened its jaws wide with an impressive array of teeth slotted into a ferocious mouth.

One word screamed in his mind: SHARK!

* * *

He jolted and shook his head groggily as he stretched as best he could in the harness while the monotone voice of the auto pilot echoed off in the hull.

**"Deep sea descent in progress. Passing 31,000 feet."**

Moodily, he fingered a button on his chair.

"Topside."

He requested as he looked at the rest of the vehicle's occupants;

A muscled man by the name of Captain Krito from the Japanese Navy that was the appointed team lead, was immersed in whatever his Viz Glasses were displaying.

Next to him on the right was a Dr. Cross who also was thumbing a data pad on what he could only assume were various technical dossiers that were undoubtedly important to their work.

Beside Krito on the left was a Mexican woman that had yet to introduce herself, though the navy blue coveralls they all wore gave away the last name of Hernandez. The way she held herself and observed everything screamed military training of sorts. But she seemed reluctant to share so he resigned to waiting for her to say. Forget about looking into her file, something about her appearance also screamed she had an ear and eye everywhere. Better to stay on her good side and if possible out of her sight too.

Beside her was their medical provider, Dr. Shirayuki, thumbing through an actual medical textbook. He didn't know why but that settled his nerves more as he felt another shuddering shake from outside.

Further down on the right by the Vehicle Pod was a division of U.S. Navy Sailors that would assist as needed with any technical difficulties Dr. Cross had, led by a man who introduced himself as EMCM Diaz. The others were: MR1 Cole, IC2 Zeek, NDCS Varker, HT1 Indy and his twin siblings; DC3 Percy and DC3 Pearl.

Then next to his left was the cook Clayton Mu-Sing. He had raised an eyebrow at the clearly American first name, to which he had explained with a bored tone that he had been adopted. He felt a sort of bond with that and gave him a handshake which he returned with an added smile. At least he seemed to have a friend there.

On his right was their deep sea expert and his fellow researcher, Callum Katolis nose deep in a book he appeared to be writing on the spot about oceanographic potential as an alternate power source. He did a double take as he caught several other rather skillful drawings of a girl in the other pages. He may have another friend there but he'd wait until he set his book down. He knew full well how hard it was to stop once he was studying a new aquatic lifeform.

'A more colorful cast couldn't exist.'

He thought to himself as the auto pilot crackled through again.

**"Topside frequency acquired."**

There was a brief pause before the silent hull was disturbed by the sound of a news anchor.

"And welcome back to this fine December evening of the 12th, 2038. For those of you just now tuning in, here's a brief recap of our main news lines from today.  
Authorities are still on the hunt for a serial killer lurking around the Hawaiian islands, tensions continue to rise for this killer's capture due to the last victim being a rather prominent Chinese representative whose identity has not been revealed by the Chinese Government.

In other news today, the newly built International Sea Station, or rather IRS-O, International Research Station-Ocean based, will be taking aboard its first crew today in both an effort to better understand our own planet but to also hopefully ease tensions -"

He blinked again and looked over at the Captain as he removed his arm from his chair console.

"You want to listen to that, do it without bothering the rest of us Haddock."

He gulped slightly and nodded as he leaned back from the Captain's heated stare. The old learned instinct of knowing when to avoid the bully came up again. It had been ages since anyone had addressed him by his last name but the reaction was still there to avoid confrontation and keep his sarcasm to himself.

There was a sudden shake that had everyone lurching forward. He gripped the harness tightly and braced as the deep sea vehicle, nicknamed the Crawler, gave a loud groan.

Another lurch and he just barely avoided the thick, heavy textbook of Shirayuki's nailing him square on the nose. It hit his back rest with a dull 'thunk' as everyone gripped themselves in place until whatever it was seemed to have passed.

He waited until everyone else began breathing before exhaling himself and tapping the release for his harness. Bending down to scoop up the book he heard one of the sailors give a huff about 'ocean currents,' while Callum just seemed a little too excited as he began writing again with more gusto.

He made to hand the book back to Shirayuki when there was another lurch and he landed on top of her. He blinked his eyes open to find himself staring straight back into a pair of emerald green eyes. Stammering his apologies he handed the book back while averting his eyes to the steel deck. His cherry impersonation grew more accurate at wolf whistling from some of the younger sailors at the end.

'Why did I think it best to ignore the warning that said in stupid terms; DON'T undo the harness until you reach the Gate?'

He had just reached his seat when there was another, more violent lurch that had him airborne.

He didn't have a chance to even yelp as he made solid contact with the bulkhead. Stars were dancing in front of his face as he struggled to get his legs under him.

"-ADDOCK! DA- I- -LL HADD-!"

That sounded like the Captain, he blearily turned his eyes to them in the Crew Pod as a warning suddenly echoed in his clearing head.

**"Warning, tube rail integrity at 68%, emergency procedures initialized. Crew Pod security activated."**

Another lurch had him thrown against the swiftly sealed hatch. He groaned softly as something warm ran down his face while looking in the view port at the horrified faces of the others. He only had a second to breathe as an almighty groan echoed in the Vehicle Pod. There was another lurch and then, he felt himself free falling.

The Pod had just been ripped from the rest of the Crawler and he was rapidly plummeting down without any form of control.

He could hardly hear himself screaming as the alarms sounded, fighting to stay awake at the sudden pressure change.

**"Prepare for impact."**

The words barely registered in his still addled mind as he was thrown clear across the pod into a robotic arm. This time, whether thankfully or not, he saw black.  
He came to as an alarm began sounding.

**"Alert. Alert. Oxygen leak detected. Oxygen level now at 37%."**

Acting on his own auto pilot, he hauled himself to a nearby control panel and blinked at the pad before realizing he was on the overhead, the pod had landed upside down. Quickly figuring out the panel he typed in his codes and began a system check. Finding an emergency kit, he sifted through the pieces and parts until he found what he needed. Taking the rubber seal and chain wrench, he hobbled to the glowing tubing that needed the patch repairs.

As he tinkered, his ribs began to make themselves known to him while he tried to breathe. Feeling an uncomfortable pain in his right upper torso, he had to assume the worst and double timed his patch work so he could scan himself quickly.

With one last downward ratchet there was a 'click' that the wrench was secured and finished ratcheting in place. Heaving deep, he fell back on the overhead.

**"Oxygen level stabilizing."**

Groaning, he rolled onto his less injured shoulder and made his was back to the emergency kit to begin the next unsavory task of doctoring himself. He activated the ADI, Automated Doctoral Index, in the kit while he forced himself to breathe deep.

He glowered at the slowness of the machine and began rummaging around for the other part of the kit that was labeled 'Bio-scanner.'

Continuing to breathe deep he scanned himself from head to toe before plugging the data into the ADI, which as luck would have it was cracked, he'd have to rely on the verbal instructions.

Numbly he followed the treatments as it began to list his every injury from the three broken ribs to his mild concussion and walk him through how to tend to himself with the materials available in the on site kit.

At the end of the third hour he licked his chapped lips while the ADI shut off upon completion. He eased himself up and hobbled forward as best he could with the makeshift splint on his left leg hindering him slightly.

Groggily hitting the communication terminal, he felt his heart flutter at the static and opened his mouth as he dared to hope that the Com-Link still worked.

"This is Researcher Hilmer Haddock does anyone copy?"

Static, and panic were his response.

"This is Researcher Hilmer Haddock does anyone copy?!"

More static.

"DAMN IT ALL! THIS IS HICCUP! HELLO!"

He screamed hoarsely, using his own nickname as he pounded on the bulkhead with weakening thumps.

Only more static.

He was fucked.


	3. Brewing Frenzy

Kunokine sighed as she watched her younger sibling race off through the city streets with what one might call fool hardy courage. She sighed and hugged her arms around herself. She tensed at the feeling of arms around her, but she soon caught the odor of who had snuck up behind her and smiled while easing back into Niho's arms.

"Ailani escaped you again I see."

His purr had her spine tingling in all the right places, but she knew better than to fall for her mate's sweet words. She arched up and lightly bopped him on the face as she sat herself down on a nearby bench. She huffed and leaned back, as she stroked her dome-shaped belly lovingly.

"If you must know, she had to fend off Ihu and his attempts to woo her."

Niho could only grunt and roll his eyes at mentioning the arrogant hot head that led the Tribes of the Trench. He sat down beside her and nuzzled into the hair of her Landshark shape.

"He won't ever give up, will he?"

Kunokine nuzzled her cheek against Niho's bare chest, as she thought about all that had happened lately. Originally, the Shark Tribes had no grudge against the Landshark tribe, but that was fast changing.

Ihu was inciting something furious below in the Trench, stating that he was responsibile to more people than the Warm Water Tribes. Their leader, Chief Hoowahawaha, was fortunately brother to Ihu's father, A'ai and together they were keeping the juvenile leader in check. Which wasn't easy when he made a persuasive argument.

Together the Trench and Warm Water Tribes had managed to survive the last few tides of time. Even as the Landsharks slaughtered the members of the Warm Water Tribes without a shred of mercy or hesitation, they continued to hide away and survive. Ihu, knew this and drew upon not only this, but the suffering of the seas from their self-imposed inaction. It was time to claim the oceans again, as they were the only ones who could lay any rightful claim to it. The Landsharks will be punished for their crimes against the home of the Tribes.

Just thinking over it again made Kunokine sick, she lightly ghosted a hand over her jaw where a Landshark had once been. She was all too familiar with the brutality above, but also of the goodness that few displayed. She let her hand fall into her mate's lap as she remembered the old Landshark with rough hands, that had eased the hook out of her mouth and cut her free.

Some of Ihu's words held merit, but did they really all deserve death? Niho, rubbed her shoulder gently, making her smile as she looked up into his worried face and trace the mate mark they shared along his neck. She nuzzled into his chest again as she rolled her arm over and traced her matching mark. Normally, once the female birthed her pups, the father would go off to seek another female. Niho was different, the last descendant of the King's Guard.

Long ago, the King had risen from his seat, and stated it was time to swim the Sparkle Blue. He left Niho's many greats grandfather and others like him, to stay by the throne until the day when their Lord returned, or one who was worthy of his seat. Upon that day they would enact his will, as only the King's Guard would. As the tides past, only he remained, the last of the King's Guard.

Kunokine had often encouraged him to go and seek another female to bore him more pups, but he remained by her side, ever watchful and stubborn in his devotion to her.

She appreciated it even more now.

"He knows that a union between him and Ailani would give him more voice here in the Warm Waters, as though he doesn't have enough of a voice as it is. Thankfully, Ailani is more than a match for him, our Chief didn't choose her as his successor for nothing."

Niho chuckled as he nuzzled into Kunokine's neck, making her release a soft wispy sigh. She couldn't wait for her pups to come into the sea.

"You know..."

Kunokine huffed as she fell back into the embrace of her lover again, damn the tide of year and her mate's alluring scent.

"We could always take advantage of her escape attempt and retreat to our more private chambers."

Kunokine growled in the back of her throat and turned her amber eyes to meet his own sea-foam green.

"Damn you Niho."

She huffed but without any real heat, as she let her teeth sharpen while he scooped her up into his arms.

* * *

Ailani slipped to the Current Caves and adjusted her monokini suit under her moe moe shirt. It wasn't as big as it once was, but it did its purpose of covering her top from the drooling men all around the city. She calmly walked up to the guardian on post and had just opened her mouth to ask a current away from Ihu, when the guard spoke first.

"If it is solitude you seek, may I suggest the Border Shelf?"

Ailani, felt her words catch in her throat, as she tried to think on the guardian's words.

"Is that not the domain of a certain Tribe?"

She huffed bitingly, her teeth sharpening in annoyance. The guard merely shook his head, not put off in the least by the agitated female in front of him.

"No, they do not bother policing their borders as the Landsharks have not yet breached that far below."

Ailani rocked back and forth on her heels before finally nodding.

"Show me the way guardian."

He bowed slightly to her and pointed to a cave on the far left of the others that led to an inky blackness.

"Take this cave and you will find the Shelf beyond."

She nodded as she walked up to it, turning to look over her shoulder at the guard as she approached the entrance and put a foot through the barrier at the entrance.

"Please tell Kunokine where I'm going, and _only_ Kunokine."

The guard only gave a nod of acknowledgement as the female turned back around, and stepped the rest of the way inside. The sharp chill caught her for a moment, but as she shifted into her sharkskin the chill faded away to a dullness that she put out of her mind. Soon the currents wrapped around her shape and propelled her out into the open water.

Ailani flexed her gills fully, she always loved this part, it was like swimming faster than anyone ever could think possible. It was so exhilarating, freeing even. That's why she needed this, not the crushing weight of her responsibilities and expectations. Just a fast swim in the seas she lived. Perhaps during the warmer months, she could ask her older sister and mate to take her with them when they hunted the furry prey. She had seen Kunokine leap high out of the water to catch one and immediately wanted to try it once she was old enough to.

She felt the currents slow and soon enough the ride was over and there she was, out alone along the shelf. She flicked her tail and began to swim off when her eyes caught something. At first she thought she was imagining things, but there was no mistake here in the extra clearness of the Trench water. It was a bright white light, coming from what she assumed was a Landshark structure, and where there were structures, there were usually the ones who made them somewhere nearby.

She swam closer, keeping the light just above her if this was a trap.


	4. Author notice please read, thank you!

**ATTENTION, PLEASE READ!**

_Greetings all,_

I will be moving this coming week in conjunction with my job transfer. Now due to this I will be postponing any updates in the near future until I am fully settled which will be roughly 1 year from today's posting. At which time I will post an update to the story: _Saying it before the time comes,_ and continue the normal schedule from there.

If anyone has any problems with the way the schedule is currently done, then I have this offer: I will set up a poll with either a new schedule or old schedule option. Vote for the old schedule, I will keep doing as I have done. Vote for the new schedule, then please PM me the order you want to see the stories updated in.

Please do not see this as me abandoning my writings, far from it. I just have to move with my work which supports my hobbies, this included. Until we meet again.

_Kindest regards and best well wishes,_

_May the Muses sing to you their song and help write the story you have drawn. _


End file.
